Race has been a central target of US disinformation campaigns. A bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report released in October 2019 found that Russia's Internet Research Agency targeted African Americans more than any other group during the 2016 election. Fake accounts such as "Blacktivist" posed as Black activists and urged followers not to vote.
Domestic actors use the same tactics. In 2020, robocalls sent to Black neighborhoods in several states falsely claimed that voting by mail would give personal information to police and debt collectors. The two men behind the calls later pleaded guilty in Ohio.
Disinformation exploits real divisions and real grievances, which is why it often targets communities that have reason to distrust institutions. Defending against it requires platform rules, enforcement of election laws, trusted local messengers and media literacy. For anti-racist work, disinformation is also a form of voter suppression.